


Let Abby Meet Abbey

by pipisafoat



Series: Abby Lyman [11]
Category: The West Wing
Genre: Canon Disabled Character, Disability, Disabled Character, Gen, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, President, Service Animals, Service Dogs, White House, collie - Freeform, invisible disability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 18:51:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12659298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pipisafoat/pseuds/pipisafoat
Summary: Josh visits the White House for the first time after a week away with his new companion.





	Let Abby Meet Abbey

**Author's Note:**

> CONTENT NOTES: Descriptions of some PTSD symptoms, implied ableism, accidental ableism

He's fumbling with the buckles on Abby's vest when the first muttered comment reaches him. He wishes he'd thought ahead, remembered the metal detector, realized he needs to take off and put on her vest every time he comes in the building. His fingers feel huge and clumsy as he fumbles the second buckle for the third time, and his ears burn. 

"So I found a vest with bags and no metal online,” Donna's voice says quietly as her hands knock his aside and deftly unfasten the vest. "We can avoid this issue completely with that, I’m thinking."

"Good idea," he mumbles, ducking his head as he drops the vest, collar, and leash into the plastic bucket and hands it to the security guard. "Abby, go," he commands softly but clearly, pointing through the metal detector. The collie trots through easily, stops when he clicks his tongue, and sits facing him to watch attentively as he and Donna follow one at a time. "Heel." Abby and Donna both follow him obediently off to the side and sit as he retrieves Abby's gear. 

"I'll get the vest," Donna offers from her seat in the burgundy upholstered chair, holding out a hand. "Unless I shouldn't--"

"Thanks," he interrupts. The trainers at Dogs of Destiny had warned him about having others handle his service dog while she's on duty, but this is Donna. He's still trying to get Abby's neck fur smoothed out of the way of the collar's buckle when Donna is minutely adjusting the lay of the secured vest and sliding a finger under each strap to test the fit. She rests a hand on Abby's shoulders as he finishes, then offers him a hand up from his knees to stand beside her chair. Abby shifts around Josh to stand at attention on his left side, her long, flowing hair an interesting contrast to his jerky nervous movements.

"Leo said to remind you that you're not to work today," she tells him as he adjusts the red leash in his hand awkwardly. It’s painfully obvious that he’s not used to having a dog around. "He's looking forward to meeting Abby, and he wants to talk to both of us about something, but he made me promise you weren't going to spend any time in your actual office."

Josh shrugs. "Should we start in his office, then?"

"CJ first," Donna corrects. "I know you've seen your coverage, but she wants to go over it anyway. Leo and I have made sure the word is out on service dog etiquette, but CJ is going to mention it to the press in her afternoon briefing, so she probably wants to run that past you first, too. Everyone else can meet her at senior staff tomorrow, so it's just Leo and the President after CJ. Oh, and Mrs Bartlett said to send Charlie to get her when you're ready to go in the Oval."

He actually moans in protest before deciding the sooner he gets the Abby/Abbey meeting over with the better. 

"I showed her the pictures you emailed me, so she's really looking forward to meeting this beautiful girl in person," Donna tells him, smiling down at Abby, who gives her a grin before staring at her handler, who hasn't moved from their spot by the metal detector. He just stares back at her for a long moment before Donna touches his elbow. "Ready?"

He tries not to jump, but Abby still touches her nose to his knee for a moment before pulling away again. "Yeah," he mutters, feeling his ears start to burn again. 

CJ meets them in the hallway & grins at the new trio. "Josh, mi amour, the prodigal son has returned!" she calls, getting the attention of the few people who weren't already staring. "Come into my office and let me show you how much I've missed you."

Donna snorts. "And where am I in that scenario?"

"Where would you like to be?" Josh waggles his eyebrows at her, pleased when she laughs and blushes at the same time. The banter is familiar and if it doesn't shift the bullpen's attention off of Abby, it at least shifts Josh's attention off of them. 

"I've had a long week, so I call bottom," Donna retorts despite her rising color. Josh feels his own ears start to burn for a different reason than awareness of his new service dog. 

"Alright, get in here. Briefing's in an hour and you're not my only meeting before then," CJ tells them, holding her office door open as they file inside. Josh settles on the couch beside Donna as CJ shuts the door, Abby sitting at his side with her attentive eyes focused on him. "Seriously, it's good to have you back, Josh."

"Thanks. Down," he tells Abby. She drops obediently onto her stomach and rests her chin on his shoe, a pose they'd fallen into naturally during their week of training together. "It's good to be back.”

“Anything you want me to know about how you’ve been covered in various media markets so far?” CJ asks, shifting immediately and seamlessly from fun to business.

Josh quells his instinct to turn to Donna or now Abby. “Nothing new since we talked on the phone,” he replies. “I don’t want to be the story, I don’t want Abby to be the story, and you know I hate taking the focus off the President. Since it’s happening anyway, they do seem to be covering me fairly and factually, so I’m fine with it.” He drops his hand to Abby’s long hair, twirling it through his fingers. He thinks she hasn’t noticed until she looks up at him. He huffs a small laugh and lets it trail out of his grasp.

"So Leo's drilled it into us at senior staff - and we've tried to drill it into our staffs - that everyone is to ignore your dog. I need to hear from you if that's good, what else we need to know, and if there's anything you'd like the press to know."

He's spent a lot of time thinking about this during his week at Dogs of Destiny. "That's good. I mean, if she's - this is just for friends, though, CJ - if she's not wearing her vest, you can say hi, but she'll be vested any time she's outside of my office. What else people need to know ... I don't really want to become the face of service dogs, but I can't ignore the … whatever. It's not just petting a service dog that's bad."

CJ frowns. "What do you mean? What else?"

He sighs and looks down at Abby, not surprised to see her brown eyes roll up to look back at him almost immediately. She's surprisingly in tune with him for them having met only a week prior. 

"See how she's looking at him?" Donna interjects after a moment. "Her attention is always going to be on him when she's working. People calling her name or making those horrible kissing sounds could distract her when she needs to do a job. Her jobs … you know what, yeah, they could be literally life or death. So that kind of distraction is absolutely unacceptable."

Josh shoots a quick smile to his assistant and nods at CJ. "Yeah. And while I hope none of that would happen in the White House, it's that kind of thing that I feel like I need to, I don't know, take advantage of my position to tell the country about?"

"We can decide on that later if you like," CJ offers, and he acquiesces with relief. 

"Nothing else for the press today, then," he decides. 

"I'll call Leo and tell him you're on the way."

Josh doesn't miss the trouble-making grin on Donna's face. "Tell the First Lady, too."

There's only enough time for a tight hug before the door to the Oval Office opens and the President strides into Leo's office. "Josh!" he exclaims. "Leo tell you yet?"

"No, sir, I hadn't quite gotten to it," Leo replies, stepping back from Josh to let Bartlet pull him into a hug, too. "Would you rather deliver the news?"

The President grins and sits on Leo's couch. "Have a seat, you two," he tells Josh and Donna. "Donna, I'm afraid you're going to pick up an extra responsibility for a week or two."

Josh raises an eyebrow at her, but she only shrugs minutely at him as she replies to the President. "Sir, you know I'm happy to help out however I'm needed."

"She proved that this week," Josh adds for her benefit. She actually did amazingly well while he was gone; there are actually fewer messes to clean up at the end of the week than there usually are with him around. She accomplished less, of course, but he'd expected a third of what she managed to get done. 

"You certainly did," Leo agrees. "That's why the President and I decided that once you find a new assistant for Josh, you're transferring to my office to start doing legislative work full time."

Josh freezes, brain stuttering to a halt. A new assistant for him? Donna transferring to Leo? Donna not right there, in shouting range, when he needs a file or a smart remark or just to vent? Donna taken away from him right when he needs her most, when he's about to become the focus of all of DC's - all of the country’s - attention with his new dog?

His new dog, who has her front paws on his knees and her tongue bathing his throat. Josh shudders as he forces air out of his lungs, one hand rising almost automatically to wind through Abby's long fur. He drops his head to rest his forehead against hers and breathes in her scent - clean dog mixed with the cucumber melon cologne her trainer had sent with her. He breathes in again, focusing on the other smells he can identify. Leo must have had curry for lunch, Margaret's flowery perfume lingers despite her absence, and the President's cologne smells like his old con law professor's. He takes another breath, finally finding Donna's subtle scent as she slides onto her knees beside Abby. "I'm good," he whispers, and Donna leans back at the same moment as Abby takes her paws off his lap and sits on the floor. "Sorry," he says quietly, then clears his throat and repeats himself. "I'm sorry. I'm okay."

"You know, if I weren't already sold on the dog, that would have done it," Leo remarks casually. "Anyway, we're thinking a month to find your replacement for Josh and train them?"

"Maybe a slower transition," Josh suggests, reaching towards Abby with one hand as the other tightens on his knee. "Part of the day training her replacement and part of the day with you."

Donna taps his shin and shakes her head when he looks at her. 

"Or we can discuss specifics later?" he tries, twining Abby's fur through his fingers. 

There's a long moment of silence as he wraps dog hair around his fingers, Donna studying his face before looking at the other men in the room. He doesn't look away from her until she returns her too-caring gaze to him. "Will it honestly be easier another day?"

"Yes," he says without hesitation. 

She holds his gaze for another minute before looking at the President and nodding. Josh feels his ears burn yet again as he realizes he forgot who exactly was sitting beside him. 

"That's settled, then. Another day," Bartlet announces. "Now, Josh, my wife suggested that you give your dog a tour of my office while it's mostly empty so she'll be ready to work in it when it's full."

He grasps the subject change with both hands. "That isn't strictly necessary, but it would be much appreciated. Thank you, sir."

"Come on, then." 

Everyone scrambles to their feet as the President stands, Josh untangling his fingers from Abby to offer his hand to help Donna up. Abby stands at the ready beside him and falls into a perfect heel as he follows his assistant into the Oval Office. 

"Are you planning to put a crate in your office?"

Josh shakes his head as the President turns toward him. "No, sir. Donna picked up a dog bed for the corner, but I don't want her confined where I might need her."

"That makes sense. Get another bed for in here."

"Sir?"

"On the days when you're staffing me, I don't want you to carry a dog bed through the hallways." Bartlet shrugs. "If you're in here all day, she doesn't need to be vested and leashed the whole time. To your comfort level, of course."

Josh swallows hard against a sudden lump in his throat. "Thank you, sir." He knew it wasn't going to be a problem, suddenly having a dog with him in the White House, but he didn't expect this warm of a welcome. 

"It's not without a price, Josh," the President warns. "I hope I'll be allowed to throw a tennis ball with her sometimes."

He grins and glances at the large lawn through the double doors. "She would love that, sir."

"I, for one, can't wait to see her with the horses at the farm," a voice says from the doorway, and Josh turns to smile - and blush, again - at his dog's namesake. 

"Ma'am," he says warmly in greeting. 

"Josh, Donna," she replies with her own smile. "How was the trip home?"

He shrugs and decides not to actually answer. "Should I take her vest off and introduce her now?" he offers. Without waiting for a reply, he drops to one knee and unbuckles her vest, annoyed when it comes off on the first try this time. Of course, now that there's not a line behind them. "Say hi," he tells his dog, who doesn't hesitate to trot over to the President and stick her nose unceremoniously into his outstretched hand. 

"Hello, sweetheart," the man tells her, rubbing her ears as she sits at his side. Josh smiles to himself at the picture the two make. He can't help but chuckle to himself as he remembers the day the President took too many of his back pills and announced he wanted a dog. "I hear we call you Abby."

"But that's not your full name, is it?" the First Lady asks the dog as she moves to her husband's side. "What's your full name, hmm?"

Josh shoots a betrayed look at Donna, who smiles unrepentantly. "Abigail Ann Bartlet Lyman," he mutters. 

"A fine name," the President declares with a secretive glance at his wife, "as long as its only ever hers."

"Yes, because I was really thinking about running away with Josh," the First Lady retorts, punching her husband gently in the arm. 

"You've foiled our plans, sir," Josh adds with a laugh. 

Donna clears her throat. "I don't want to presume, sir - or you, Josh - but I already have some tennis balls stashed in Josh's office if you'd like to run her right now."

"Make sure some of them find a home in here when that dog bed comes," the President instructs her. "A water bowl and maybe a food bowl as well? We can easily keep a bit of her food and some treats in here, too. Actually, why don't I let you decide what needs to be in here and how to store it."

"Yes, sir,” Donna replies. Josh actually feels more comfortable with her making those decisions, as long as she’s still his assistant, and he’s glad the President automatically turns to her for it.

"I don't want to let her off leash here yet," Josh says, suddenly nervous about having her vest off. He knows it's ridiculous given who he's in the room with, but still he snaps his fingers twice and only relaxes when Abby returns to him, sitting at attention at his side. 

"And she's how old?" the First Lady asks. Josh breathes a little easier at how she completely ignores his unprompted recall. 

"Two years and two months. One of her litter mates is a working service dog, too, and another already has two competition titles."

The President whistles, looking impressed. "When will she be running for Congress?" he asks. "I already like her better than all the current options."

A knock at the door to the Outer Oval interrupts them all before Josh can start laughing. "Mr President, sorry to interrupt, but the translator and everyone else is here from State."

Josh kneels again to put Abby's vest back on. "Thank you, sir," he says automatically as he straightens it, smoothing down a rogue patch of hair so she looks more professional. 

"Make sure you see Leo on your way out," the President instructs him. "Introduce her to Charlie and Mrs Landingham, too, please."

"Yes, sir." Josh adjusts the leash in his hand, glances down at his new companion, takes a deep breath, and strides out of the Oval Office with his head held high, reassured to hear Donna's steps just off his right shoulder and Abby’s off his left.


End file.
